Please, Laurie

By rese

"It doesn't sound right."

"But I did exactly what you told me to. Maybe you didn't tell me what to do right."

"Jo," Laurie sighed. His patience was getting a real work-out today. "Okay, let's try it again and we'll go very slowly so I can see what's wrong here."

"But you said-"

"Jo, just forget about the timing!" After pressing the importance of timing to music all afternoon, Laurie's exasperation sounded ridiculous even to him. Jo just shook her head, and with a tired expression began to play the song again.

Laurie watched her fingers intently, this time with a legitimate excuse. The piano lessons with Jo were – well, amusing, frustrating, character-building and he wouldn't give them up for the world. Laurie shaped his week about them and spent a good deal of the Jo-absent days waiting sometimes patiently and other times not so.

"There! That's it!" Laurie caught Jo's wrists to prevent her from moving her fingers off the keys and he hit the B under her ring finger. He laughed blithely as he hit the key again and again and Jo just looked at him as if he were mad. "Oh Jo, don't you see? It's B on "lamb" not C." She looked at the black and white pieces. Who was she to know which was which?

"Well I think you've lost it. That's what." And swinging around Jo stood up to go sit by Amy who had taken to sewing and knitting while they "pegged away". Laurie just smiled after her, feeling as though he'd solved the mystery of his life before he began to play madly for a minute or two.

Jo listened but fixed her attention on her sister who was merrily knitting away with some blue wool. Briefly she looked up, trying not to grin at Jo's temperamental attitude – she sat there with her arms crossed and intently ignoring the man on the other side of the room. Amy handed her another set of needles and a green ball of wool, feeling her sister could at least be productive in her mood.

Jo started off fairly well until she missed a loop. Dropping the work in her lap she let out a frustrated sigh, she was helpless even with simple things she knew she could do! "Oh come on Jo, don't look so!" Laurie moved over to the women, "it's only one note and you'll get it in no time."

"Oh really? Teddy, I can't even knit with Amy! And I've done that far longer than you should care to know. Are you really willing to sit down and teach unhappy, stupid Jo?"

Laurie crouched down to meet her dejected gaze and with all his heart said, "Yes." Even Amy looked up at that tone.

"Jo, I thought you better. Are you really willing to give up?" Amy added. Jo looked between the two Laurences and mockingly replied in the same tone Laurie had used, "Yes." But when Amy's eyes took on their stern glare she rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Alright. It was C wasn't it?" she headed back to the piano, smiling when she heard Laurie's laughing answer. "B, Jo. B!"

…

"Oh please! Please, Laurie!" Amy put on her prettiest look. "You do it for Jo, why not your wife?" Laurie looked at her expression and knew he was caught; he could hardly refuse her anything when she looked at him like that. Like he was the only one in the world, the only one who could help her and the only one that mattered. And he felt a pang of guilt that he could never feel the same.

"Alright."

Laurie sat down at the old instrument heavier than he had of late. Mostly because Jo had been part of that "late" and now it was just Amy and he. He didn't know if he could do this. "I'm not sure. Amy I'm sorry, I don't think I can –"

"Sure you can!" she cut in as she took the seat she pulled by the piano. "It's easy; you do it nearly all the time. Just pretend I'm Jo," she spoke the last part with a pinch of jealousy that made Laurie watch her worriedly. Amy was unaware of how close he had come to pretending at various moments of their life.

He cleared his throat, even though she hadn't asked him to sing but it felt proper when starting something sure to be difficult. His fingers lowered to the keys in the pattern ingrained into their memory.

The piece began languidly, with a haunting tune that immediately took the fancy of Amy's sentimental heart. Laurie decided to just imagine she wasn't there. And not someone else.

…

"Teddy, I'm desperate. You know I don't like asking for favours." Jo's hands were shaking and she rolled her eyes at her foolishness, "and I've already asked for one recently but I really need your help." Her face was hopeful and Laurie gulped. Why was it he couldn't refuse March women?

"Please, Laurie." Well that had done it and he was up with his hat and gentleman's cane. "Oh thank you, my dear boy!" she threw her arms about him and he unsuccessfully attempted to hide his flush. "Please don't forget: milk, bread, honey and flour." She deposited the list in his open hand along with the correct amount of money.

"Don't worry Jo. Your boy won't let you down," and with a masculine tap to his chest he was off and out the door. Jo sighed in relief and collapsed onto a sofa wishing she had the stamina of an Arabian steed. Running Plumfield certainly took its toll and with the Professor and half her boys ill Jo was exhausted. "Thank god for Laurie!"

…

"I was running an errand for Jo!" he explained to his wife who had her arms crossed and pretty face upset with anger.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was unexpected!"

"So was your visit to the Bhaers!" Unaccustomed to raising their voices at each other, the couple paused to check their tempers. Laurie had arrived home only just before dark and Amy had stirred herself up whilst waiting for him, conjuring up many implausible reasons for his lateness. A fair number of them involving her elder sister. And it seemed that she was right!

"I'm sorry Amy, I won't be late again." Laurie tugged his vest down to straighten it and began to move upstairs. But Amy wasn't so willing to let him off.

"What was the errand Laurie?" Her husband stopped on the stair, turning to look at her. He seemed puzzled for a moment before he answered, "groceries Amy." She still had her elegant eyebrows raised, expecting more.

"Everyone's sick at Plumfield and Jo couldn't get away to get them." Amy's eyebrows lowered and she looked about feeling a little foolish. "Happy?" he asked moodily and after seeing her hasty nod he finished the climb up to hide in his study.